39,000-year-old mammoth RNA found in Siberian permafrost

The remarkably preserved mammoth has pushed the known limits of RNA survival, offering rare insights into the real-time biology of extinct species.

This marks a significant paradigm shift in our understanding of RNA stability after death, as scientists previously believed RNA would deteriorate within minutes or hours. (Image: Reuters)

Scientists have successfully recovered and sequenced the oldest known ribonucleic acid (RNA) from a woolly mammoth that lived around 39,000 years ago in Siberia. The breakthrough challenges long-held assumptions about how quickly RNA decays, suggesting it can persist far longer than previously believed.

The RNA was extracted from the muscle tissue of a juvenile male mammoth, estimated to be between five and ten years old. Its exceptionally preserved carcass, named Yuka, was found in 2010 in the Siberian permafrost near the Oyogos Yar coast by the Laptev Sea. The discovery has opened new avenues for studying ancient organisms and understanding their biological functions in unprecedented depth.

The analysis of Yuka’s RNA revealed which genes were active in its tissues at the time of death, including signs of cellular stress. Until recently, prehistoric life was understood largely through skeletal remains, which offer limited information on how extinct animals actually functioned. However, advances in retrieving biomolecules from ancient specimens have widened the scope of research dramatically. This latest study adds RNA to the growing toolkit of ancient DNA and protein analysis, allowing scientists to trace genetic activity rather than just genetic code.

RNA plays a central role in cellular processes, acting as a messenger between DNA and the body’s protein-making machinery. It regulates gene expression and protein synthesis, providing insights into what cells were doing in an organism’s final moments. Emilio Mármol, the lead author of the study published in the journal Cell, noted that RNA analysis gives researchers direct access to the metabolic functions of woolly mammoths, offering a level of detail that DNA or proteins alone cannot provide.

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RNA is considerably more fragile than DNA and proteins. The oldest DNA recovered so far dates back roughly 2 million years, from plants, animals, and microbes preserved in Greenland sediments. The oldest proteins, around 23 million years old, come from the dental remains of a hornless rhinoceros discovered in the Canadian High Arctic. Until now, the record for ancient RNA stood at around 14,000 years. Yuka’s RNA pushes that threshold significantly.

Love Dalén, a geneticist and co-author of the study from Stockholm University and the Centre for Palaeogenetics, said the finding serves as proof of concept for recovering RNA from ancient remains. It could enable deeper studies of gene expression patterns across Ice Age megafauna.

Yuka showed signs of trauma consistent with a cave lion attack, including deep cuts on its hide, though these injuries were not fatal. The precise cause of death remains unknown. The RNA recovered from Yuka included molecules coding for proteins involved in muscle contraction and stress-related metabolic regulation, possibly linked to the injuries.

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The results represent a major shift in scientific understanding of RNA stability after death. Previously, researchers believed RNA degraded within minutes or hours. The frozen Siberian environment appears uniquely suited to preserving it, enabling this rare discovery.

DNA sequencing also confirmed that Yuka was male, contradicting earlier assumptions, and stood about 1.6 metres (5¼ feet) tall at the shoulder. The researchers believe it may be possible to retrieve RNA from even older specimens under ideal preservation conditions, underscoring the potential of ancient RNA research. They advocate expanding RNA studies to archaeological remains from other periods, including medieval contexts, involving both extinct and living species.